Recent letters between university administrators and organizers of a student event show that Penn State is acting cautiously after the recent scrutiny placed on it by the state government.

In planning their Safer Sex Cabaret, members of the gay rights student group Allies agreed on five conditions under which they would hold the event in exchange for a room reservation on campus.

The talks began when the Event Management Office in the HUB-Robeson Center flagged a reservation the group made on March 15 because of its title.

Stan Latta, director of Unions and Student Activities, contacted a member of Allies and asked him to explain the program.

Students met with Latta and several other administrators throughout last week.

In a letter dated Wednesday, Latta proposed a list of five conditions students were required to meet in order to hold their event on campus:

"There will be no nudity."

"There will be no lewd or lascivious touching."

"There will be no actual demonstrations of sexual activities or sexual techniques."

"Attendance at the program will be limited to enrolled Penn State students."

"Signs will be posted outside the doors of the venue indicating the sensitive nature of the program and warning that some may find the content of the program objectionable."

Students agreed Wednesday to go ahead with the event and informed Latta of it Friday. In a letter Friday, Latta approved the event under those conditions.

Jennifer Dumin, organizer of the event, said the list of five things shouldn't affect their program and that they're willing to work with the administration.

"We certainly understand where the university is coming from and the tight spot that they're in," she said.

Publicly, both the students and the administrators have said the conversations were amicable.

"This group of students has worked very well with the administration," said Jan Jacobs, the university's vice president for administration.

One student organizer, however, sent a mass e-mail criticizing the university in all capital letters for singling out sexual minorities.

ALLIES still plans to hold the Cabaret on Saturday as part of Pride Week.

Organizers say it will feature a series of skits and songs about alternatives to sexual intercourse, such as cybersex and masturbation.

State lawmakers, led by Rep. John Lawless, R-Montgomery, have recently put pressure on Penn State President Graham Spanier to stop sexually explicit student events, such as two which were run recently by Womyn's Concerns.

Although the conservative students who first complained to Lawless about the events said they were concerned about the use of student money, the debate soon turned into one over free speech.

Lawless and other legislators encouraged Penn State to be "moral leaders."

Gov. Tom Ridge encouraged the university to develop better policies to prevent sexually explicit student events on campus.

At a hearing in February, Spanier said Penn State would make several such changes, including a new policy on hanging banners and more diligent screening of events when students reserve rooms.

Jacobs said the university hopes to make sure students do not violate community standards in their programs.

"I think we've taken a consistent position, that we need to prevent activities that need to be considered lewd, but we will always promote free speech," Jacobs said.